THREE charities have benefited from an annual Christmas shopping event.

The two-day Durham Shopping Extravaganza, in October at the Ramside Hall Hotel, near Durham, raised about £19,000.

This year's beneficiaries were the Durham Agency Against Crime, the Rainbow Trust and Darlington's St Theresa's Hospice. Each of them received £6,000.

The cheques were handed over to representatives of the charities at the Ramside Hall Hotel yesterday.

The remainder of the cash will be distributed to smaller charities in the region.

The Durham Shopping Extravaganza is organised by 20 committee members.

Joint chairman Jayne Cook said: "Since we started 18 years ago, we have raised more than a quarter of a million pounds for charities in the region.

"At the latest event, we had more than 70 stalls, from throughout the country, with each giving ten per cent of their takings to charity."

The event was sponsored by Barclays, Northern Rock, solicitors Blackett, Hart and Pratt and Sherwoods of Darlington.